One massive silver (or perhaps I should say golden) lining to this cold, blustery weather is a roaring log fire. There are few things more lovely than its crisp crackle and warm glow. Curling up in big socks and sloppy sweaters with a good book (mine is currently Patrick Leigh Fermor's "A Time for Gifts") has to be one of winter's best pastimes.

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Match strikers, from $340 each, lucycope.com

To ready the hearth, log baskets are the most obvious place to start. They are such a warming presence in a room. It's worth spending some time and a little money to get really good ones. Ruby Beets in Sag Harbor, N.Y., sells custom baskets made by Jonathan Kline; Dunbar Gardens makes baskets from willow grown on their farm.

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Willow basket, from $110, dunbargardens.com

Antiques shops are a good place to look for more unusual ones, such as old grape-gathering baskets from vineyards. On the more affordable end, Restoration Hardware has a very good, well-priced line of willow baskets. It is pretty to have a combination of sizes and types for the different types of fuel: logs, kindling and old newspapers, even fire-lighters (but please resist the synthetic Duraflame log—that yellow and red wrapper is such an eyesore). I like a mix of willow and wire containers.

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Clint Hammered Candlesticks, $100, mecoxgardens.com

Then, of course, there's the fire. Growing up in England and Scotland I spent quite a bit of time in cold houses, so I learned quickly how to build a good fire. The key is to construct it with plenty of air between the newspaper, kindling and logs, and for all those things to be very dry. Start with a pile of scrunched-up paper, then build a Jenga-style pile of kindling on top and crown it with a wigwam of logs. Finally, set light to the paper with a long match (Cire Trudon sells them).

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On the mantel, I love having a large, beautiful match striker filled with pretty strike-anywhere matches (not the easiest to track down, unfortunately). You can find old match strikers, which are lovely although expensive (Tudor Rose Antiques in New York always has a good selection), or go for something new. Lucy Cope in England makes crystal ones in various colors with silver collars, and she ships internationally.

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Alpaca rug, 6 x 9 feet, $4,104, therugcompanylondon.com

I also like a little light on the mantel, either a skinny lamp or a mismatched selection of candlesticks—glass, ceramic and vintage silver. John Derian carries Astier de Villatte ceramics and Tudor Rose has great old silver candlesticks. Unusual ones, like Mecox Gardens' chic hammered brass pair, are always the best. When you have a mix of things it is important to have one element that unifies them. I always put apple-green candles in my candlesticks—it really pulls the collection together (Cire Trudon offers every color in the rainbow). Black is also very smart.

Now, no self-respecting fireplace would be complete without something snuggly to lie on in front of it. The Rug Company makes an alpaca rug that is irresistibly plush. Luke Irwin has started making cashmere rugs, available through Alt for Living, that are crazily soft.

Then there is the tried-and-true Moroccan Berber rug, which you can find at John Derian, among other places. These rugs are always best laid on top of something else. For me, it is usually a woven rush rug from Bloom in Sag Harbor, but they are also available through Stark Carpets. I love the combination of the natural, warm-weather rush with something wooly and wintry.

Finally, if you are out on any long country walks keep an eye out for fir cones and chestnuts. The former are great fire starters and the latter are delicious roasted and eaten while hanging by the fire with friends.

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